Cats Fall to No. 6 Longhorns Wednesday

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Kansas State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning but a 10-run third by Texas doomed the Wildcats as the top-seeded Longhorns took the opening-round matchup of the Big 12 Tournament, 19-10, Wednesday afternoon at Bricktown Ballpark.

With the loss, Kansas State falls to 33-23 on the season and 0-1 in Big 12 Tournament pool play, while Texas improved to 43-13 and 1-0. The Wildcats, who have lost four in a row, are now 2-3 all-time in Big 12 Tournament play.

Kansas State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second as Rob Vaughn walked and Brett Scott followed with an infield single deep in the hole at short. After Nate Tenbrink walked to load the bases, Eli Rumler lined a single into left to score two runs and chase Texas starter Kyle Walker from the game. After two strikeouts and a hit batsman, Adam Muenster singled to second base to drive in Tenbrink and Rumler came around to score the fourth run of the inning after an errant flip to second by Travis Tucker.

Nick People’s RBI-single in the bottom of the second got Texas on the board at 4-1. The Longhorns then broke open the game with 10 runs in the bottom of the third on eight hits off four different Wildcat pitchers to take an 11-4 lead. Jordan Danks had two hits in the inning, while six other Longhorns recorded RBI base hits in the frame.

Justin Murray (4-3) took the loss on the mound for the Wildcats after giving up seven runs in the 10-run third inning. Murray did not record an out and walked three in the inning. Starter Trevor Hurley surrendered three runs on four hits in 2.0 innings with one strikeout. Todd Vogel, the fourth of eight pitchers on the afternoon, came in and shut the door for three-plus innings until giving up two runs in the seventh.

Texas reliever Joseph Krebs (8-1) took the win after tossing 5.0 shutout innings and allowing just two hits while striking out five. Starter Kyle Walker lasted just 1.0 inning and gave up four runs on three hits with two walks.

The Cats broke through for six runs in the top of the eighth to pull to within 13-10 as Derek Bunker and Eddie Vasquez drove in three with run-scoring singles. Longhorn closer Randy Boone then entered the game and Muenster greeted the senior with a three-run homer over the wall in left for the first home run of the conference tournament to pull the Cats to within three at 13-10.

But, Texas had an answer of its own as it scored six times in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by homers from Nick People’s and Bradley Suttle, to up the lead to 19-10.

Muenster led the 13-hit attack Wednesday with three hits and a career-high four runs driven in. The redshirt freshman has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and belted his first career homer on Wednesday. Bunker, Vasquez and Tenbrink each had two hits on the day.

Kansas State will face fourth-seeded Nebraska Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and then will square off against fifth-seeded Texas A&M Saturday at 10 a.m.

– k-statesports.com –